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Cypriot Delights: Part I

10,000 Birds

Tucked away at the extreme eastern end of the Mediterranean, Cyprus is regarded politically as part of Europe, but when it comes to birds it’s very much Middle Eastern in flavour, with a number of species that are hard or even impossible to find in Europe, plus a trio of endemics. The song is highly distinctive.

Cyprus 229
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The Final Days of the Danube backwaters in Belgrade: Chinese Belt and Road Initiative is coming to Serbia

10,000 Birds

And here in Europe, they are the real deal, an indigenous species and not domesticated animals gone wild. They may have been disturbed by the presence of hunters in the Danube backwaters. The only wildcat I found was illegally killed by hunters during closed season. I barely started when some sulphur (a.k.a.

Serbia 246
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Nyala, Southern Africa’s Stunning Antelope

10,000 Birds

I’m a big fan of the antelopes, a group that is most commonly associated with Africa but which also occurs in Asia and, if you stretch the term to be cladistically meaningful, Europe and North America. By this I mean applying the term antelope to cover all of the family Bovidae, which would include the sheep, goats and ox.

Africa 173
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Birding Hongbenghe, Yunnan

10,000 Birds

I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. It seems that this is another species for which the standard phrase of scientists anywhere, “more research needed”, applies.

Birds 147
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“European” Purple Swamphens on Mallorca

10,000 Birds

One – the Takahe is far too cool a species to lose. Two – there is so much distinctness amongst the different forms of the Purple Swamphen that lumping means we may as well lump all the world’s reed warblers into one huge species and be done with it. ” Birds Europe Purple Swamphen rails Spain'

Spain 157
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Where to watch shorebirds around Belgrade, Serbia

10,000 Birds

Shorebirds (in Europe: waders) must be an acquired birding taste. In Europe, people start birding when they see a Common Kingfisher or a Golden Oriole , hoping to see more jewels like that, but not a Wood Sandpiper. So far, 33 species have been eBirded in Serbia. North: Pecena Slatina pond by the Baranda Village. Pied Avocet.

Serbia 164
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Birding Iceland on the Fly

10,000 Birds

Joseph Chiera is a Masters student in Animal Behavior and Conservation at Hunter College in NYC and a “somewhat newbie” to birding. Between finishing one graduate program and begining another, he embarked on a whirlwind tour of Europe. Of course, birding was on the itinerary! Of course, birding was on the itinerary!

Iceland 197